"Infinity Castle, The Tsugikuni Family" Before becoming a demon, Kokushibo was known as Tsugikuni Michikatsu. Born during the Sengoku period
"Infinity Castle, The Tsugikuni Family"
Before becoming a demon, Kokushibo was known as Tsugikuni Michikatsu. Born during the Sengoku period, he was the heir to the Tsugikuni family, a prominent samurai clan, and had a twin brother named Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
In that era, twins in samurai families were considered ominous, as they were believed to fight over succession upon adulthood.
Upon their birth, Yoriichi's unusual "birthmark" (Demon Slayer Mark) led their father to attempt to kill him. However, their mother's furious intervention saved Yoriichi's life.
Following tradition, the father decided that Michikatsu, as the elder son, would inherit the family business, while Yoriichi would be sent to a temple to become a monk at age ten.
As the heir, Michikatsu lived a privileged life, vastly different from his brother's. Observing Yoriichi's constant proximity to their mother's left side, the young Michikatsu believed his brother was inseparable from their mother due to unfair treatment, and felt pity for him.
To comfort his brother, Michikatsu secretly visited Yoriichi in his small, three-mat room, defying his father's orders.
Their father discovered Michikatsu's disobedience and severely punished him. However, Michikatsu didn't distance himself from his brother.
To avoid suspicion, he made a flute for Yoriichi, saying, "If you ever need me, blow this, and I'll come." Bruised and battered, Michikatsu offered his brother a genuine smile.
Because Yoriichi had never smiled or spoken since birth, Michikatsu mistakenly believed him to be deaf and mute.
However, his perception of Yoriichi was shattered at age seven…
One day, while Michikatsu practiced swordsmanship in the courtyard, he noticed Yoriichi watching him from the shadows.
Yoriichi then unexpectedly spoke: "Brother's ambition is to become the strongest warrior in this land? Then, I shall become the second strongest!"
Yoriichi's fluent speech astonished Michikatsu, leaving him speechless. After recovering, Michikatsu found his brother's words laughable: Yoriichi was destined for the temple at ten, and often clung to their mother—a cowardly weakling who could never be a warrior.
Then, Yoriichi smiled for the first time. Michikatsu found the smile inexplicably unsettling…
After that, Yoriichi always watched Michikatsu practice.
One day, Yoriichi asked their father's retainer, who trained Michikatsu, to teach him swordsmanship. The retainer jokingly gave Yoriichi a bamboo sword, taught him basic techniques, and told him to attack.
Everything changed—Yoriichi, wielding a sword for the first time, defeated the retainer, who had never been defeated by Michikatsu, in only four strikes. Witnessing this, Michikatsu realized his brother was a prodigy.
However, Yoriichi never again expressed a desire to become a warrior. Michikatsu learned from Yoriichi that he disliked the feeling of striking others. But Michikatsu was determined to uncover his brother's extraordinary abilities.
Finally, under Michikatsu's persistent questioning, Yoriichi explained something incomprehensible: "When facing an opponent's attack, your lungs will move rapidly.
Just observe the opponent's internal physiological signs." (This describes the principle of Breathing Styles and Transparent World).
After some time, Michikatsu understood: Yoriichi could see through all living beings, possessing innate talent far surpassing his own. His physical abilities were exceptional, making him truly "blessed by the gods."
Michikatsu, who aspired to be a great warrior, felt immense powerlessness. While his own talent was considerable, allowing him to improve through effort, his achievements paled in comparison to his brother's god-given abilities.
Michikatsu resented the unfairness of fate: why did heaven bestow such talent on someone who didn't need it?
Simultaneously, Michikatsu foresaw his future: his position and his brother's would reverse. Yoriichi, with his superior talent, would inherit the family business, while Michikatsu would be relegated to his small room, awaiting his departure to the temple at ten, forever unable to fulfill his dream of becoming a warrior…
That night, at the hour of the tiger (3-5 AM), Yoriichi knocked on Michikatsu's door, delivering the heartbreaking news of their mother's death. Before Michikatsu could react or grieve, Yoriichi announced his impending departure to the temple and his intention to cherish the flute Michikatsu had given him.
Michikatsu watched as Yoriichi smiled while touching the flute. He couldn't understand why Yoriichi cherished a broken flute that couldn't even play a proper note, but he said nothing. Watching Yoriichi's happiness, Michikatsu felt a surge of resentment towards his brother.
After Yoriichi left, Michikatsu discovered in his mother's diary that she had suffered from a debilitating illness for years, losing feeling in her left side.
Michikatsu suddenly remembered Yoriichi always clinging to his mother's left side, realizing that Yoriichi had known about his mother's condition and had been supporting her.
This realization intensified Michikatsu's deep-seated jealousy towards his brother, forever separating them.
Later, their father, realizing Yoriichi's talent, regretted his decision and sent someone to the temple to bring Yoriichi back.
However, they learned that Yoriichi had never gone to the temple. The brother he resented had vanished without a trace…
Over a decade passed. Michikatsu inherited the Tsugikuni family business, married, and had children. Life was comfortable, yet inexplicably dull, as if time itself had slowed to a crawl.
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